Wings
Wings is the lead single off of Little Mix's debut album DNA. Wings was realeased on August 26, 2012 and reached number one in the UK and Ireland. It also charted in Australia, New Zealand, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary. Background & Composition After becoming the first group to win The X Factor in 2011 and having their first number-one single in the United Kingdom with "Cannonball," the group began recording "Wings" with the song's producers, TMS. The recording was made while Little Mix were on the X Factor Tour in the United Kingdom at the Music Shed in London.In a January 2012 interview with British newspaper the Daily Mirror, Perrie Edwards said "We're going a bit urban, old school with a bit of pop. We wanna bring back old school harmonies. And Jesy beat-boxes and Leigh-Anne raps, so we're trying out different things." On 9 March 2012 Little Mix met with Syco Music label owner Simon Cowell; Cowell was impressed with their progress, saying it was the group's input that made the song good. The recording of "Wings" was described by Edwards: "It was just such a good time and a really cool experience to be able to go into the studio and have a laugh." According to her, the group knew on first listen that the song had to be a single. In writing "Wings", the group were inspired by Beyoncé Knowles and Michael Jackson. "Wings" is an uptempo pop song incorporating R&B and old school, running three minutes and forty seconds. Instrumentation includes a modern tempo, trumpets, trombone, keyboard, saxophone, drums and clapping. "Wings" is sung in timed harmony,and features a dubstep-composed breakdown two-thirds into the song. Tina Hart of MSN Music likened the song's breakdown to those in Destiny's Child's songs. "Wings" opens with brass instrumentation and clapping before the group harmonises on the lyrics: "Mama told me not to waste my life, she said spread your wings my little butterfly". The group's vocal performance on the song has been compared to American singer-songwriter Christina Aguilera by a number of critics. Gordon Smart of The Sun and Louis Boroditsky of NOW likened "Wings" to Aguilera's "Candyman" (2007). Other critics felt that the song is reminiscent of girl groups En Vogue and Sugababes, particularly the group's "confident R&B vibe" on their cover of En Vogue's "Don't Let Go (Love)". Release On 30 May 2012, Little Mix revealed "Wings'" title during a live Twitcam with their fans on Twitter. The group revealed the artwork for "Wings" on 1 June 2012. The artwork features the group against a sky-blue background; their logo includes four icons (one for each member). While signing the single's cover sleeves, Perrie Edwards said "It feels so weird seeing our single cover in real life." Also on 1 June, the single was made available for pre-order for 22 July 2012 on the iTunes Store in the United Kingdom. A preview of the song was then premiered during an interview on Alan Carr: Chatty Man on 1 June 2012. It was announced on 11 June 2012 that the single's digital release in the United Kingdom was delayed until 19 August 2012, with a CD single release the following day. On 23 June 2012, Little Mix began counting down to the premiere of the song on Twitter. The song was premiered live at T4 on the Beach on 1 July 2012 and on BBC Radio 1 on 2 July 2012. "Wings" was released for digital download in Ireland on 24 August 2012. It was released in the United Kingdom on 26 August, after being postponed a second time. A CD single of "Wings" was released in Australia on 30 October 2012. After signing with Columbia Records on 8 January 2013, Little Mix announced that "Wings" would be the lead single from DNA in the United States. Leigh-Anne Pinnock felt that releasing the single in the U.S. was "exciting,": "It's always been our dream from the start – we always wanted to be international, so we're just gonna work our bones off and hope it works out for us." Jade Thirlwall said the song was written with the U.S. in mind. Perrie Edwards noted about the release of "Wings," "It seemed like the introduction to Little Mix, it gets our individual personalities across, and it's got a really good message, which we want our fans to have." Labelmates One Direction were also supportive of the release; Jesy Nelson said, "Direction basically told us to go over the U.S. and be ourselves. There's nothing more you can do – you just gotta try your best and hope for the best." "Wings" was digitally released in Canada and the United States on 5 February 2013. Critical Reception "Wings" was acclaimed by music critics. Robert Copsey from Digital Spy awarded the song a four (out of five)-star rating, saying it lived up to its expectations and is a "seriously promising start" for the group. Copsey also praised the song's beat and the group's vocals. Rachel Aroesti of Time Out called the single "a dancefloor-friendly hit". "Wings" was called "addictive" by Al Fox of BBC Online. Popjustice felt that the song was the best single by a girl group since Girls Aloud's "Call the Shots" (2007), and the outro is so "astounding that it will probably be the best outro of any song to be released this summer." The website also likened the song to Christina Aguilera's music, concluding "There's enough intense greatness in this song to launch Little Mix in at least eight countries that aren't the UK." Daily Mirror reporter James Robertson wrote, "Little Mix have made history by becoming the first X Factor winner to have a second single that is actually really good and loads better than their debut track." Robertson further opined that "Wings" is "infectious" and "exactly what made the girls so popular." The song was praised by Michael Cragg of The Guardian, who said "'Wings' is brilliant because it's got everything you'd want to hear in a pop song in 2012". He complimented the song's "horns, big clomping beats, gloomy dubstep bit, double-time handclaps, ridiculous vocal runs last heard on a Christina Aguilera single and a marching band that arrives out of nowhere!" "Wings" was Jon Dingwall's "Single of the Week", receiving a three (out of five)-star rating in the Daily Record. The song was described as "irresistibly catchy" by Bill Lamb of About.com; in his review, of the song he considered the group's vocal style reminiscent to that of En Vogue. Brian Mansfield of USA Today said that "Wings" could be the "What Makes You Beautiful" of 2013 in the United States. Chart Performance Lyrics All Mama told me not to waste my life She said spread your wings my little butterfly Don't let what they say keep you up at night And if they give you shhhh... Then they can walk on by Jesy My feet, feet can't touch the ground And I can't hear a sound But you just keep on running up your mouth, yeah Jade Walk, walk on over there 'Cause I'm too fly to care, oh yeah All Your words don't mean a thing I'm not listening Keep talking, all I know is Mama told me not to waste my life, She said spread your wings my little butterfly Don't let what they say keep you up at night And they can't detain you 'cause wings are made to fly And we don't let nobody bring us down No matter what you say it won't hurt me Don't matter if I fall from the sky These wings are made to fly Perrie I'm firing up on that runway I know we're gonna get there someday But we don't need no ready steady go, no Leigh-Anne Talk, talk turns into air And I don't even care, oh yeah All Your words don't mean a thing I'm not listening Keep talking, all I know is Mama told me not to waste my life, She said spread your wings my little butterfly Don't let what they say keep you up at night, And they can't detain you 'cause wings are made to fly And we don't let nobody bring us down No matter what you say it won't hurt me Don't matter if I fall from the sky These wings are made to fly I don't need no one saying hey, hey, hey, hey I don't hear no one saying hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey You better keep on walking I don't wanna hear your talking, boy'd You better keep on walking I don't wanna hear your talking, boy'd Your words don't mean a thing I'm not listening and Perrie They're just like water off my wings My mama told me not to waste my life She said spread your wings my little butterfly(my little butterfly) Don't let what they say keep you up at night And they can't detain you 'Cause wings are made to fly And we don't let nobody bring us down No matter what you say it won't hurt me Don't matter if I fall from the sky These wings are made to fly And we don't let nobody bring us down No matter what you say it won't hurt me Don't matter if I fall from the sky These wings are made to fly... Videos Little Mix - Wings-1|''Wings:The Official Video'' Little Mix - Wings (Lyric Video)|''Wings:The Official Lyric Video'' Little Mix - Wings (Acoustic)-0|''Wings (Acoustic)'' Little Mix - Wings - Behind The Scenes|''Behind The Scenes'' Category:Songs Category:Singles Category:DNA Songs